Monash University Handbook 2010 Postgraduate - Unit

Synopsis

This unit is taken concurrently with MPH1040. Together they are prerequisites for clinical epidemiology elective units. Contents includes: classification of medica data; data summary; statistical distributions (e.g.Bernoulli, binomial, normal t and chisquare distributions), sampling distribution for sample statistic (e.g. sample mean and sample proportion), standard error, difference between standard deviation and standard error; comparing two or more treatments/methods or two or more groups of patients using confidence interval and hypothesis test; evaluating association between exposure and outcome; relative risk and odds ratio; corelation and regression analyses (linear and logistic regression); sample size calculation for study design.

Students are required to have access to a calculator equipped with elementary scientific functions (eg Casio FX-100) and a statistical package for data analysis e.g. SPSS.

Objectives

On the completion of this unit, students will have developed the ability to:

1. Describe, summarise, and graph data appropriately;
2. Analyse elementary data using a statistical computer package;
3. Identify different probability distributions and their parameters;
4. Quantify uncertainty in research results using biostatistical methods;
5. Apply the appropriate statistical methods to basic research questions;
6. Perform simple statistical analyses, report their findings and interpret their results;
7. Critically appraise the statistical aspects of research publications in health care.

Assessment

Written assignments (90%)
Online participation (10%)

Chief examiner(s)

Dr B Billah

Contact hours

2 contact hours per week for on-campus students.

Off-campus attendance requirements

2 day on-campus block for off-campus students.

Co-requisites

MPH1040

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at:

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/epidemiology/pgrad